Your Honor Student Is Still Dumb

Even the most intellectual of teenagers can be dumb sometimes. Neurologically, this makes sense. “It’s a paradoxical time of development,” Frances E. Jensen told Harvard Magazine. “These are people with very sharp brains, but they’re not quite sure what to do with them.”

New research suggests that adolescent brains are only 80 percent developed. Some sections have high-learning potential while other parts are still unconnected. MRI scans suggest that brain development isn’t finished until people are in their late 20s, flying in the face of previously held beliefs. The researchers hope the results will help parents and children understand adolescents a little better.